Ali Galip Old Chocolate Factory (AL-GA)

Ali Galip Old Chocolate Factory (AL-GA)

It is located in Konak district's Güzelyurt Neighbourhood, on 926 Street that intersects with Havra Street. According to the Land Registry and Cadastre General Directorate's Parcel Inquiry System data, it is registered in block 202, parcels 13 and 67, and has parcel areas of 251 and 414 square meters, respectively. The building in the north, which is unregistered, consists of a basement and three floors, and the registered building in the south has three floors, which was built in 1929. Both buildings were built with a reinforced concrete carrier system and bear the original façade characteristics of the periods in which they were built.

The history

In 2013, the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality initiated the 'Izmir-History Project' in Kemeraltı Urban Site and Kadifekale Urban Transformation Area, which covers an area of ​​approximately 252 hectares, aiming to strengthen the relationship of Izmir residents with history, to preserve, improve and revitalize the historical city center with a holistic perspective. In this context, the Design Strategy Report was prepared in 2017 and the project area was divided into 19 sub-regions. On 13-14 August 2014, the first sub-region workshop was held, covering the Synagogue Area number 2, Hotels Area number 5 and Anafartalar Street 2. Stage Region number 11.By creating a participant profile consisting of academicians, local government, trade associations, non-governmental organizations, public institutions, mukhtars and tradesmen, due diligence, mapping and road map sessions were held and operation plans were prepared in this direction. The Old Chocolate Factory, which Galip Efendi used in the 1950s, is located in the Synagogue Region and was included in the 'Number 2 Synagogues Area Operation Plan'.
In the aforementioned plan, in line with the strategic goals of the Izmir History Project, scenarios were created for areas that would revive the multicultural structure of the region and where new experiences would take place. Situations related to the field were determined, problem, potential and value maps were prepared and the operations to be carried out were determined. In the region, which has an important place in terms of its location, decisions were taken to bring abandoned and unused areas to the city, to make arrangements to attract young people and artists to the region and to strengthen relations with other regions.
The 'Old Chocolate Factory', located on 926 Street, which lost its importance after the transportation of shoe and shoe manufacturers, was determined as a structure that will trigger the revival of the region along with other buildings and has been evaluated under the title of 'Culinary Culture, Local Tables' as one of the operations that should be carried out for all of the units. In this context, it was proposed that the city, which has a rich Aegean cuisine culture, could create a center of attraction with the addition of cuisines belonging to local and foreign cultures, and the buildings located in these streets should be re-functionalized so as to host culinary culture. According to the survey results of the First Sub-Region Workshop, the evaluation of the Old Ali Galip Chocolate Factory as a museum in the recommendations regarding the Synagogue Region was determined as 19% less important, 33% important and 48% very important.In line with all these suggestions, the factory is preparing a restoration project within TARKEM (Tarihi Kemeraltı İnşaat Yatırım Ticaret A.Ş), one of the actors of the Izmir History Project and established in 2012. The gross area of ​​the project is 1650 m2 and the buildings will be structurally strengthened. In the project, where both parcels of the factory are included, a restaurant where local dishes are served on the ground floor and a multi-purpose hall with kitchen workshops on the upper floors were designed. After the completion of the project, it is planned to be a center that will host all kinds of activities of gastronomy, chocolate museum, culinary arts, design and art. It is aimed to make it an attraction point especially for young people in the Synagogue Region. Detailed videos and visuals about the current situation and the project are available on the website where the project is conveyed.It is planned to start the construction in March 2020 and to be completed in October 2021 with the ALKEM company established jointly with the property owners. The building located on parcel 13 was registered by GEEAYK with the decision dated 20.06.1981 and numbered 2954 and by TKTVYK with the decision number 3509 dated 17.07.1987.